Many dentures require taking a new impression of the mouth and relining to result in better fitting dentures. Changes in the mouth tissue and distortion of the size and shape of the prosthesis cause dentures to loosen and become uncomfortable for the patient.
Usual relining procedures require taking a new impression of the patient's mouth and sending it, with the denture, to a dental laboratory where it is relined. This normally takes at least one day. Many patients are reluctant to be without their denture even for one meal or overnight. Such patients usually resort to chairside procedures or do-it-yourself denture liners which only provide temporary relief. Several premixed or powder/liquid materials have been introduced for chairside use. With these reline systems, the dentist is able to reline the denture with the patient in the chair and cure the denture chairside by means of a visible light source. The prime objections to the use of these materials have been that the premixed materials are too stiff to obtain an accurate impression, or are too soft to maintain the impression, or are not fully cured by the visible light. Any one of these problems can result in an unsatisfactory denture liner.
Other denture liner formulations (premixed or powder/liquid) of impression quality with a chairside procedure offer only temporary relief for the patient. Many of these reline materials are adversely affected by the oral environment with softening and staining. Further, prior formulations would set up in the mouth and become so rigid as to be difficult to remove and cause distortion of the impression.
A principal object of this invention is to provide an improved denture liner composition.
A further object of this invention is to provide a denture liner composition which will set up in the mouth but have such resiliency as to be removable without distortion of the impression and curable to a hard condition.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a denture composition which is readily cured by visible light.
Another object is the provision of an improved denture composition which can exist in the oral environment without significant softening and/or staining.